Punishment & Reward
by Emotional-Hikari
Summary: DeAnoned from the T&B Meme. For Kotetsu, getting a scalp rub is the most pleasurable thing in the entire world. Barnaby finds out and abuses this knowledge.


**Setting:** Ten-month time skip  
**Genre:** General/Romance  
**Rating:** T  
**Pairing:** Implied Barnaby/Kotetsu  
**Summary:** Deanoned from the T&B Anon Meme. _For Kotetsu, getting a scalp rub is the most pleasurable thing in the entire world. Barnaby finds out and abuses this knowledge._

**Punishment & Reward**

"T-that's not fair!" Kotetsu whined miserably, biting back the groan threatening to rise from his throat. A smirk played across fair features, slender hands expertly plowing through thick strands of dark brown hair; he curled his fingers, gently scratching the dry scalp with sooth, steady motions. Kotetsu mewed like a cat, leaning back against the touch as he slumped limply against his partner. Any fight to struggle, any protest gone before he could even draw another breath. Barnaby chuckled.

"I thought you liked it when I did this?" he raised a fine brow. Kotetsu made an incoherent grumble as his face scrunched up in a sulk, reluctantly opening his eyes to glare at the young blond leaning over him.

"Still not fair! I'm not going!" he stated firmly. There was a chuckle and suddenly the pressure against his skull increased just ever slightly, firm fingers working their way down from the top to the sides, rubbing just above the ears, sliding down behind the ears, back up again, then back to scratching the crown. Kotetsu all but purred as his eyes slid shut again, letting out a shuddering breath. The pressure stopped, feeling those talented hands leave his skull and travel down to his shoulders, holding him firmly in place as a warm breath whispered against his ear.

"If you go to dinner party tomorrow night – and _behave_ – I promise I'll do an extra hour for you," Barnaby offered. Kotetsu fidgeted a little, squirming at the sudden shiver going down his spine. Tomorrow night was a dinner gathering for the Heroes along with some potential future sponsors having been personally invited by OBC president, Albert Maverick. While it was a good opportunity to schmooze up to some big wings, it was not something Kotetsu felt relevant to being a Hero – nor was it something he was good at either. Apparently he was taking too long to answer, feeling those slender fingers leave his shoulders and back running through his hair, giving his head a gentle squeeze.

"Nghmpf…fine! But I won't like it!" he agreed. Barnaby only smiled, rewarding him with an extra scratch and another gentle rub, seeing a loose smile appear on Kotetsu's face as the pout melted away. He leaned over to plant a light peck on the other's forehead.

"Good – now remember, be on your _best_ behavior, or you won't get a scalp rub," Barnaby warned.

"Define 'best' – _master_," Kotetsu challenged. The blond sighed, shaking his head; tomorrow night was going to be a long one.

**-8-**

It hadn't exactly been a good night, but it hadn't been a disaster either; Barnaby didn't say a word the entire ride back to his apartment, Kotetsu sitting in the passenger side like a child in timeout. He had gotten into a heated debate with some brusque looking fellow at the party about the mechanics of Heroism. The man made a point that Heroes were nothing but media franchise, something that businesses could use to rake in profits and benefits for themselves, so of course Kotetsu argued that a Hero was more than money. They had been neck and neck for a good twenty minutes or so, Kotetsu failing miserably at articulating his point and it was showing; frustrated at not being able to get his point across properly, he let a cuss slip – specifically at the man he was talking to. The rounded face had puffed up with red colour and Kotetsu bit back his tongue as he shrank back; the man looked like he'd explode.

He had let out a roaring laugh instead, before patting Kotetsu heartedly on the back, leaving the veteran very confused. The man had explained he hadn't had a good debate in ages – apparently most people were too afraid to talk back to him and just simply agreed with everything he said. Kotetsu only gave him a nervous smile, letting him rant on before exchanging business cards and went on his way. Amber-brown caught with forest green glaring at him from the corners, seeing the blond shake his head.

"W-well – it turned out alright! I mean…he seemed to like me?" Kotetsu squeaked, holding his hands between his knees. Barnaby didn't say anything, pulling up in front of his apartment complex before getting out and waved to the valet on duty. Kotetsu whined to himself, sitting in the car for an extra minute before slowly climbing out; he might not get that head rub tonight. He followed his partner up the steps, through the doors and past the security desk, waving to the guard on duty – he's been here often enough almost all shifts knew him. They headed towards the elevator, waited a few minutes for it to come down, stepped in and then waited for the long ride up to the top floors. Kotetsu tried not to fidget as he shoved his hands into his pockets, gazing at the elevator floor with miserable eyes.

The doors dinged after a five minutes, Barnaby walking out ahead of him still not saying a word and not even looking back at him. Kotetsu whined, slouching after the blond with his shoulders hunched, and head hanging low; definitely wasn't going to be getting that head rub tonight. They came up to the blonde's door, a swift finger punching in the code before putting his thumb against the print reader; the door beeps, sliding open with a hiss. Still no words passed between them as they entered the dark room, Kotetsu flinching at the unexpectedly bright lights illuminating the room. Barnaby started to shrug off the dress coat he was wearing, folding it over his arm before undoing a few more buttons of his shirt. Kotetsu stood where he was, staring off to a blank corner of the room.

"…Guess I'm –_ not _getting my scalp rub… am I?" he asked in a disheartened tone.

"No, you'll still get it," Barnaby replied. Kotetsu perked up, looking to the blond with a hopeful gaze. "…after I've had my shower."

"What? But – but – you take like _**two**_ hours!" Kotetsu whined. "I might fall asleep before then!"

"Then it'll be your own fault for not being able to stay awake," the blond smirked over his shoulder. The older Hero pouted and sulked and fussed before stalking over to "his" chair and slumped right down on the seat, arms folding over his chest. Barnaby only shook his head before walking over to the door leading to his room, disappearing through the red sliding door as it hissed close behind him. Kotetsu sulked even more, slouching further into the reclining seat as he grumbled to himself; he was determined to stay awake, no matter how tired he felt. No one gave a good head massage like Barnaby did – though he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised by now. The blond has harassed his head long enough to know all his favorite spots, the right amount of pressure to use, which way to stroke his hair, when to scratch, when to press. Kotetsu groaned pathetically to himself, letting out a small whimper – was it bad at how desperately he wanted those firm, strong hands on his skull right now?

He ran his fingers through his own hair, but it wasn't quite the same, scratching at a slight itch on the top of his head. He sighed, letting his hands fall to his lap; scratching your own head was one thing, but to have someone else touching your head… Kotetsu never really understood why, but he always enjoyed the head pats as a kid no matter how brief they were; it always gave him a sense of comfort and accomplishment getting a pat on the head. It wasn't until Tomoe had started playing with his hair that it became more of a relaxant, once it got longer; he let her have her fun, figuring he'd have to get it cut once he was officially a Hero. He never did cut it. Feeling her fingers curling through his hair, twirling dark locks, even pulling his bangs away from his face sent all the stress of the day fleeting away in an instant. She had noticed, and exploited it just as much as Barnaby was; Kotetsu pouted at the thought. He was finding more similarities every day and was beginning to wonder if his wife's spirit was sometimes possessing his partner's body somehow.

He slumped back against the seat, eyes staring up at the ceiling; his body felt heavy as the evening's events took its toll on him. His eyes threatened to fall shut, feeling himself relax against the wrinkled leather of the recliner. He snapped himself up, gently smacking his cheeks in attempts to wake up. He wasn't going to miss a head rub, nope, not even if he had to get up pace around, do jumping jacks or even bang his head against the wall to stay awake. This was also part in pride of trying to out-do his partner for once; Barnaby would probably purposely stall his shower just so he could tease Kotetsu for falling asleep. Well, not this time – Kotetsu was determined; he had behaved tonight (mostly) and even exchanged a business card, so that had to count for something, right?

He ran through cycles in his head, sitting to rest, then getting up and moving around when he felt even a hint of drowsiness cloud his mind. He glanced at a clock – thirty minutes have past. Kotetsu groaned, collapsing into the chair, face buried in his hands. There was no way he'd stay awake for two hours. Honey-brown eyes peeked up from his hands, glancing up at the large screen built into the wall; he _could_ watch TV for a while, but he knew that was a bad idea. He was the kind of person who could fall asleep to almost anything – unless it was Legend, then nothing could tear him away from the screen – so he'd definitely fall asleep in an instant. He let out a huff, trying to blow his hair out of his face.

His eyes glanced to the computer sitting on the small round table next to him, glancing back to the screen then back to the computer again. The wheels in his head were turning slower than normal due to the tiredness, but an idea struck him as he remembered some little features Barnaby had showed him not too long ago. A wide, mischievous grin spread across his face, rubbing his hands together in devious plotting before setting everything up. If making him wait for a good scalp rub was Barnaby's punishment for him, then Kotetsu would set up a punishment of his own for the blond – plus, it would help keep him awake for the next hour or so.

**-8-**

Barnaby stepped out into the main room in nothing but his briefs, a towel around his neck as he dried off the excess water from his hair. Glancing over to the single chair in his possession, the figure lounging lazily in the seat didn't move and Barnaby wondered if the other had fallen asleep.

"Kotetsu?" he called out softly. The other perked up, glancing over his shoulder with a sedated smile; mint green eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"Ah, finally – thought you'd never finish!" Kotetsu complained. Barnaby only kept staring at him with a skeptical look; he did something – something he knew the blond would never approve of. It was all in his smile. Kotetsu seemed to notice the distrust, laughing as he got up from the chair and walked over to where his partner was standing.

"What? I stayed awake – ran a few circles around the room and what not, but I stayed awake," he explained.

"Alright – what did you do?" Barnaby frowned, arms going over his chest. A pout formed on the angular face, Kotetsu holding his hands up in a paw-begging motion as he tried to bat his eyelashes innocently at the man glaring down at him. The blond refused to yield to such a ridiculous face, even when the older man quivered his lip, letting out a pathetic dog-like whimper. Barnaby sighed, his shoulders visibly slumping before uncrossing his arms.

"Okay, okay – I'll give you your reward," he relented. Kotetsu cheered, Barnaby still giving him a stern look. "But – you're telling me _everything_ after it's over, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah sure," Kotetsu agreed nonchalantly. The blond sighed again before they headed to the bedroom, Kotetsu flopping down on the large bed on his stomach, snuggling against a pillow contently as he awaited the expected head rub. Barnaby lingered by the edge before crawling on to the springy mattress, hovering over the man stretched out before him and reached his hands through dark-auburn hair. There was an instant sigh of relief as skilled hands worked through dark tresses, long pale fingers gently rubbing at the temples first, before moving around the head, scratching, kneading, trailing down behind his ears, flicking his earlobes, rubbing the base of his neck, traveling back up. Kotetsu moaned and purred as his partner worked around his head, growing increasingly quieter the longer the ministrations continued for.

"…Kotetsu?" Barnaby spoke, stopping momentarily. No answer. He leaned over to see the other's face, finding Kotetsu had dozed off in the middle of the massage. Barnaby sighed, glancing over at the clock – it was almost past midnight, so he supposed he shouldn't have been _too_ surprised that the older man nodded off. He was only disappointed in himself for not prying answers out of the man about what he did while he was in the shower. A yawn he couldn't suppress escapes him, reaching a hand to pull his glasses off his face and set it aside on the dresser. He pulled the covers out from under Kotetsu, before crawling under them himself, Barnaby pulling the sheets up over them and settled in for a good night's sleep. He'd just have to hound at the other in the morning.

**-8-**

The steady loud beeping of his alarm woke him up, letting out a silent moan as he rolled over to turn it off; he slowly sat up in bed, a hand rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes before glancing with a blurry vision to the man sleeping next to him. Barnaby sighed, reaching out for his glasses to clear up his view, firmly poking at the body lying soundly. It was no wonder Kotetsu would be late for work at times – he didn't wake up with an alarm.

"Kotetsu – wake up. We have to get ready for work," he nagged. Kotetsu groaned, rolling over on to his stomach, burying his face further into the pillow. Barnaby frowned, poking at him even more shaking his shoulders, nagging him again, but the other simply refused to budge, his groan muffled by the pillow. Another sigh escaped him – looks like he'd have to get the veteran up the hard way…after a quick breakfast. Barnaby stood up from the bed and wandered over to his closet to pull out some clothes for the day, pulling out his usual attire of jeans and a short-sleeved black shirt. He checked himself over once, satisfied with his appearance before walking out of the bedroom – he'd be back later with ice to run down the sleeping man's back.

Before wandering into the kitchen, however, Barnaby went out to the main living room, checking to make sure nothing was out of place. Not there was much _there_ to be put out of place, so immediately he checked his computer, seeing nothing too out of the ordinary. Still suspicious, he still went through his folders and data, hoping nothing had been added or move around and disorganized. He blinked upon seeing a new file had been added to his desktop, letting out a growling sigh before moving to delete it. He paused, however, noticing it was a video file. His finger hovered over the screen – dare he? Though, considering it was Kotetsu, it was probably just him doing a stupid little dance or acting out some overdramatic play.

The blond shrugged and clicked it anyways – a good laugh in the morning wouldn't hurt. His jaw practically hit the floor when the images on screen were anything but stupid and hilarious, the wanton moans filling his ears as he head was suddenly clouded from making a string of coherent thought. The room had been dimmed, casting low lights against the tanned skin of his partner, giving him an almost pale glow as the man on screen sat in the chair – naked, hot and very much desirable as he self-pleasured himself. Barnaby found his eyes glued to the screen as the lustful groans filtered through his ears and down to the pit of his stomach and lower, suddenly very consciously aware that he was sitting in the same chair Kotetsu had when he did this. The video seemed to last for hours, Barnaby too entrapped to notice his own body reacting as Kotetsu slumped back against the seat, a cat-like sedated grin on his face. He lifted two fingers to his lips and Barnaby was on the edge of anticipation of what was going to happen next; Kotetsu then pointed his fingers to the camera, a smirk spreading wide enough to split his face.

"_Punishment!_" his voice on screen claimed firmly. Barnaby only blinked before the video ended and the screen went black. The cool temperature of the room slowly brought him back down to earth and the blond realised he was feeling rather constricted in his pants. He cursed to the empty room, before glaring over his shoulder to the bedroom door; he knew what the point of this was – it wasn't to get him thoroughly frustrated and incomprehensible (although that worked) – it was to make them late for work today…_very_ late, gauging by how much aroused Barnaby felt. He grumbled, before standing up to his feet and walked into the bedroom, slightly startled to see Kotetsu sitting up against the headboard, a broad smile on his face.

"Are you going to punish me then, _Lil'Bunny_~?" he asked smugly. Barnaby only growled, stalking his way to the bed, pulling off his shirt along the way and dropping it carelessly to the floor. He crawled on the bed with a predator-like stance, tugging at the sheet covering up the now clothes less body awaiting him eagerly.

"I will make you _so_ miserable when – if – we get to work today," he growled in response. Kotetsu only laughed, reaching his arms around the blonde's neck to pull him closer.

"Small price to pay, but it'll be worth it."

**-End-**


End file.
